A busy ass day. Being a manager means responsibilities, such as covering for other staff who need to take off because their children are doofuses and end up being accident prone and in the hospital once every 4 months. So, I did not have the time to come home and right until 30 minutes before Raw time. I’ll share some quick thoughts in what I assume is a Larry King style, which I’m influenced by from the SNL skits that made fun of him (so it might be entirely offbase).

WWE Title

Should stay on Daniel Bryan, and an Interim Champion should be found. Will that happen? Sadly, unlikely. But if they do take the title of Bryan, who should win it in his place?

The Cult of Personality?

I know, I’m getting depressing and desperate now.

Shield vs Evolution Contract Signing

I am guessing that if the Title is taken off Bryan, it’ll end up around the waist of either one of the participants of this match, or the Last Man Standing bout. Due to a contract signing, I say it’s likely we’ll see HHH and his cronies use the opportunity to steal the championship somehow in the paperwork, leading to new WWE Champion after Payback being Seth Rollins.

Or Dean Ambrose.

But most likely, Roman bland Reigns.

Midcard Revival

A Beat the Clock challenge for the new Intercontinental Championship contender.

Cesaro will be taking on Sheamus this Sunday after they’ve been brutalizing each other.

And there’s no doubt the tag team titles are rejuvenated over the last several months.

Well done, WWE. Keep it up, and remember the Show Off somehow in the following title proceedings.

John Cena vs Bray Wyatt

As powerfully enthralling as Bray is, I think the John Cena stale train is running though this angle and bringing the excitement down a notch. Let’s hope Cena moves onto another storyline after this Sunday, but who against or with?

Tuesday Night Titans

Tune in tomorrow to LOP Radio for the next edition of Tuesday Night Titans. XanMan and I will be discussing the NXT Takeover special that will be on the WWE Network this week. We also review ECW’s Ultra Clash ‘93. It is not yet available on the WWE Network, so here’s a link for you to enjoy (or not).

From WWE.com
We’re less than one week away from WWE Payback, but we might very well be heading into the anticipated special event without a WWE World Heavyweight Champion. As the WWE Universe waits to see whether the leader of the “Yes!” Movement will indeed relinquish his hard-earned title, what will transpire when a special Memorial Day edition of Monday night’s hottest show emanates from the University of Tennessee?

1. Not-so-sweet surrender
Although their hero underwent successful neck surgery and is fortunately on the mend, the “Yes!” Movement has been in turmoil since The Authority demanded that Daniel Bryan personally surrender the WWE World Heavyweight Championship this Monday on Raw. As argued by Stephanie McMahon last week on Raw, the WWE Universe needs an active champion, and since Bryan is currently unable to compete while in recovery, giving up his title is “best for business.”

WWE COO Triple H addressed the matter further last Wednesday on WWE.com in an exclusive interview with Michael Cole, suggesting that perhaps Bryan’s “not tough enough to be able to handle the gig” and that the fan-favorite Superstar will do the right thing by relinquishing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. If Bryan doesn’t, we can only assume that the consequences will be dire.

2. Fox hunt
Okay, we’ve all watched (and re-watched) the footage of Alicia Fox going bonkers and dumping a WWE fan’s soda all over herself last Monday night, but let’s not forget the reason for the bizarre celebration: Alicia pinned Divas Champion Paige, giving the 21-year-old her first defeat since her Raw debut the night after WrestleMania.

Even though Fox has seemingly come unhinged in recent weeks, her new and slightly tilted outlook on life is already reaping huge benefits. With a victory over the reigning titleholder, has Alicia secured herself a Divas Championship Match in the near future? Hold on to your cups

3. Process of elimination
Last week, The Authority banned all “non-official” WWE personnel from ringside during Seth Rollins’ clash with Batista, which resulted in Triple H trying his hand at ring announcing and Randy Orton serving as a special timekeeper for the wild encounter. Because that’s totally fair, right?

However, Raw General Manager Brad Maddox leveled the playing field for The Shield by allowing Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns to serve as guest commentators for the bout, ensuring that if either The Game or The Animal tried to intervene on their Evolution cohort’s behalf, The Hounds of Justice would be ready to strike. As expected, the combustible elements in and around the ring sparked an all-out melee between the embattled groups, with Evolution ultimately retreating up the entrance ramp from the fired-up Shield. That encounter has only raised the ire of the WWE COO, who has since vowed to “eliminate The Shield one-by-one.”

Will Maddox be punished by The Authority for his apparent act of defiance? And with tensions between The Shield and Evolution at an all-time high, will these two warring factions tear each other apart during the contract signing for their No Holds Barred Elimination Match at WWE Payback?

4. Kiss and yell
How’s Fandango going to dance his way out of this one? Last week, the sashaying Superstar was in for a shock when Summer Rae — who he dumped via Twitter, by the way — returned to Raw and planted a kiss on her former dance partner. Layla was incensed by Summer “cutting in” on her all-too-public relationship with Fandango, and found herself in a wild brawl with the blonde beauty that ended in a relative stalemate.

Now that there are two women in Fandango’s life, the fleet-footed master of the ballroom might be having second thoughts about scorning Summer Rae. Will the sequins fly again if Summer and Layla cross paths on Raw?

5. The final countdown
It was like the most disturbing episode of “Sesame Street” ever last Monday night when Luke Harper stood over an incapacitated John Cena and slowly counted to 10 — a sinister look at what could be the Cenation leader’s fate at WWE Payback when he collides with Bray Wyatt in a Last Man Standing Match. Cena has made a career of standing firm in the face of adversity, but as “The Man of 1,000 Truths” continues to assert his control over the hearts and minds of the WWE Universe, the 14-time World Champion might be facing a battle that he simply cannot win.
Will Cena be able to dull the “scorpion’s tail” that is Wyatt’s tongue on Raw, or will the backwoods preacher stride to WWE Payback with “the whole world in his hands”?

From LOPforums poster StormDragonz

The Monday Night RAW Episode for the 26th of May, 2014: Wonderful World Of Sleaze

May 26th & May 28th, 1996: In the only PPV to ever be held in the state of South Carolina, it's In Your House 8: Beware Of Dog, or "It's Vader Time" despite confliction. On the 26th, only two matches occurred before a severe thunderstorm took out the power, resulting in showing the remainder of the card two days later. Though this PPV is recognized more for a Strap Match between Steve Austin and Savio Vega, it's the official main event worth noting. Goldust, the reigning Intercontinental Champion, went up against The Undertaker with the title on the line in a Casket Match.

--- Enjoy the show, everyone. Live life to the fullest, drown out those sorrows for someone else to feel love... ---

2 4 1 Special!

StormDragonz Questions to Ponder

1 - Will Daniel Bryan be forced to vacate the WWE Championship, and if not, will he be forced to defend his championship at Payback?

I hope he doesn’t have to relinquish the title, as I like my Interim Championship idea, but it seems like a step WWE would never take, so I would bet on yes, and no title defense on Sunday.

2 - Neither the Divas Title nor the Tag Team Titles are currently on the Payback card. Will Paige and/or The Usos defend their respected titles?

I am betting against it. I think we’ll get Rose vs Swagger first.

3 - How confident are you that Sheamus WILL NOT retain the United States Championship from Cesaro?

I am confident Sheamus keeps the title. Cesaro would be a great champion (again) but it seems so unlikely for The Shield to drop it via a Battle Royale, only for the new champ to lose so quickly. WWE has plans for Sheamus as US Champ.

4 - What do you expect to be the pre-show match for Payback to be?

That’s a good question. No ****ing clue.

Live Raw Discussion

Intro - The Authority

9:00
The mics aren’t even on in the ring yet, and Cole has already given me nightmares. First he shills the Twitter hashtags to discuss the Authority, and then goes on to talk about someone doing the “right thing”, which can’t help but haunt me with memories of Dudleys vs Undertaker in 2004.

9:16
Effective start, though I fear that the Maddox firing is to honestly drop him from the roster. Maybe he’ll have a rebirth in NXT.

I want to feel bad for him, but as comfortable as he is on the microphone, he’s the type of talent who is a dime a dozen these days. Maybe he’s expendable.

RVD vs Cesaro

9:25
Can’t go wrong with Barrett at the announce booth, and Cesaro in the ring. I just had the mental image of a tag team between the 2… don’t get your hopes up…

9:28
I am really sick of the label of “Pay Per View” at the end of every name. I know they are Pay Per Views, but how lame would it be if the entire Road to Mania build up had it be towards “The WrestleMania XXX Pay Per View.”

9:35
Anyone still denying the face power of Sheamus is obviously ignoring what is plain and simple. The guy is over, and pulls off the antics just right.

I do find it weird how both the US and IC titles aren’t being treated rather equally. I’m guessing a unification might be in the plans.

Bray Wyatt Promo

10:17
A very sudden shift in gears here, as WWE made a very conscious effort to get the Wyatt Family despised. Lots of heel heat due to their attacks on John Bradshaw Layfield and Jerry the King Lawler. Cena’s actions received a strong positive response, and the Usos received a nice rub from their own assist into the proceedings.

I don’t think it’ll last into the Payback event this weekend, as they will be in the very heel friendly area of Chicago. If anything, Bray will get his biggest reaction yet.

Still, a very engaging segment that reignited some of my interest in the match.

Zack Ryder vs Rusev

10:21
Woo Woo Woo
You’re losing.

Evolution vs Goldust and Cody Rhodes

10:48
It looks like the evening is being devoted to ensuring the villains get their deserved reactions of boos. While there wasn’t a lot of concern with Evolution getting better reactions than the Shield on Sunday, this type of booking helps aleve lots of the apathy that has been facing the non-HHH members of the 3 man trio. Batista is doing a solid job getting heat, while Orton barely needs to do anything. The rules changing helped too, though I expected Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns to make an appearance since it was set as “no holds barred,” so the opening was there for interference.

Thankfully, it looks like The Shield is being held off for the main event, as Daniel Bryan’s portion is topping the hour.

Bo Dallas

10:55
I just don’t see the appeal. I will boo the man, but I don’t care yet. He isn’t that interesting a character, not that strong a performer, and just a generally bland portion of the roster so far.

Meh

12:31
Sorry wrestling fans, but the rest of the show just didn’t hold my interest enough. I will admit to being completely distracted with working on the LOP Radio editing, but I did that last week and still managed to enjoy the show somewhat. This week, not so much.

I hope Payback delivers.

And on that note, Peace out

Feel free to email me a comment (Email PEN15). One of the best parts of writing is the discussions that come out of it. My hope is that your response could be used in a column to publicly discuss your comments.
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